Princess Elizabeth Stakes- $250.000 Purse
WO- For Fillies Two Years Foaled in Canada
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
October 31, 2020

A good race should be in store for us on Halloween in the 13th running of the Princess Elizabeth Stakes, which sends two year old Canadian fillies over a mile on the main track. It goes without saying then, that this is a great opportunity for trainers to see how their horses might fare against stronger competition while not being able to worry about those who are going to be in the BC next week. This is mostly an unproven field, and in fact we even have a first time starter in the race as well as a horse that has only one start, a 29-length loss. Last year, the race was won by Mb Stables and his filly, Enriched. It would be her last win, and she seemed to be retired as soon as she possibly could be for breeding. Trainers will instead be hoping to follow the lead of 2009 winner, Donegal Maid, a 25-time winner who earned over $2,600.000 in her illustrious career. Let’s meet the field!

#1- Lost In My Mind (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- This will be the only entry in the field for the trainer as he hopes to win this race for the second consecutive year. The Compress filly was able to break her maiden in her last start, which was her fourth, against ON-bred company. It was her first time going long and while the SRF number is not going to jump out at you, it bodes well for her here as a horse that has never had a bad race, outside of her debut. She is a good contender here.

#2- Chrystal Pearl (Emerald Racing Inc, ridden by P Lopez)- After a rough debut, Chrystal Pearl showed that she just needed a race and won in a very similar condition, though for a much higher purse right here at WO. At the beginning of this month, she did not impress, so the inability to build off the maiden win is a mild concern. Now, she will be going long for the first time, but it is hard to project how she might fare without a longer public work.

#3- Break From Holly (Nakamura Stables, ridden by S Ryan)- She was able to break her maiden in her last start while running a mile at GG. Similar to Lost In My Mind in that the SRF for the race is not a high number, but it certainly does show her potential. This will be the first time that she runs in Canada, and her work from the 14th at BEL could suggest that she is one to look out for, even beyond this, in Canadian-bred races, if not graded races.

#4- Lady Sammyantha (The Sidley Stud, ridden by R Bejarano)- This is the first horse that we will look at that does have stake experience. Lady Sammyantha has made seven starts, with one win and three places in that time. One of those runner ups came in the $125.000 Debutante at CD. She has also tried graded company, but that’s about all you can say about her day at the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes. Worked very nicely at PRX and will hope that her experience pays off.

#5- Z Donut (Arindel, ridden by D Davis)- Makes her sixth start here in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes after getting two full months off. This is an Arindel filly, remember, so that amount of rest is not often seen. That race was the $225.000 Muskoka against ON-breds, a race where a good stretch run got her a second place result. She will stretch out for the first time here, and her works show that the patience of the trainer is being rewarded, showing gradual progress. She will be my top pick.

#6- Grand Phoenix (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by F Boyce)- I am not sure that I have covered a complete first time starter in a race like this. In HRP, with horses often needing a race, this is a gutsy move by Team 7 Illusions. There is nothing wrong with her works, but they don’t leave your jaw dropping, either.

#7- Fuzzy Lovin (Arindel, ridden by R M Hernandez)- Smokey Stover may have let one get away in a maiden claimer in July, a race that she won on turf. Arindel picked her up, and moved her into stakes right away. She cashed a check, though did not win, two ungraded stakes since then, both coming on the turf. Now, she moves to the main track, and how she makes the transition will be the story of her day. Work times are not as impressive as others, but don’t rule her out, either.

#8- Salt Gully (Night Rider Stables, ridden by E J Zayas)- Well, they say a horse needs a race. Most of us that play this game are well aware of that, so the abysmal performance of Salt Gully on debut can be thrown out easily. However, to go directly here off of that, and not trying a conventional maiden is quite a jump. Perhaps, it works, but I would not put money on it.

Prediction: 5-4-3-1

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded